Most of the time I spend in our press cars involves evaluating how a vehicle works as a family hauler -- can the car seats be installed easily; how well does the rear-seat entertainment system work; can two strollers and several pieces of luggage fit in the cargo area; does the in-car vacuum attachment actually get rid of stray Goldfish and Cheerios? But when I recently planned a quick weekend getaway with three of my best girlfriends, I decided it was the perfect chance to test how well our 2017 Nissan Armada works for someone whose life isn't consumed by Disney Jr. and fruit snacks.

Our destination was The Ritz Carlton Reynolds at Lake Oconee, a luxurious oasis that's only a 90-minute drive from Atlanta. The night before, I took both kids' car seats out of the Armada and wished the car was outfitted with a vacuum, a la our long-term Chrysler Pacifica, to get rid of the snack crumbs that had accumulated in the second row. Thankfully, a quick once-over with a dust buster did the trick.

I woke up early on Saturday morning and made three quick stops to pick up my mommy friends for our jailbreak ... I mean vacation. The first few comments from the girls as they got settled in the SUV were things like "This is a REALLY nice car" and "These seats are VERY comfortable." My friends are all current or former luxury-car owners -- there's a Buick Enclave, three Lexus RXs and an Infiniti Q50 among their families' current or recently owned vehicles -- so they have experience with the small details that separate a luxury car from the mainstream brands. However, this Nissan Armada Platinum is every bit as luxurious as the luxury cars they've owned and loved, and I could tell they were surprised by that ... which really just proves perception isn't everything and you really need to spend time in a car to get a true feel for it.

As someone who typically uses her phone for directions, I made a point to use the Armada's nav system for our ride out to the lake. Inputting the destination was quick and painless, and the route was fairly straightforward, with a yellow line showing you exactly where to go on the map in addition to the verbal cues, which I found to be timely and helpful. Overall, the system was intuitive, though there was one instance where it seemed to get confused and a green line appeared instead of a yellow one, indicating the route could not be calculated. We had to whip out our phones to figure out which direction to head in, but eventually we got back to the yellow line and were back on track.

The ride was plush and comfortable, and I learned the second row has a very useful built-in armrest with cupholders, something I've never once used with my children, since they're in safety seats. And because there were only four of us, there was plenty of room for our luggage with the third row folded flat. Overall, the 2017 Nissan Armada was a great road-trip vehicle for four women looking for a little bit of luxury and a quick escape from kid duty.

This image is a stock photo and is not an exact representation of any vehicle offered for sale. Advertised vehicles of this model may have styling, trim levels, colors and optional equipment that differ from the stock photo.